Releasable ski binding



B. B. BARNETT ETAL 2,868,555 RELEASABLE sx1 BINDING Jan. 13, 1959 Filed Jan. 17. 1958 l l lim l l /N VEN TO/e s .A BARTOMV 6. `BARNETT NORMAN KING `tional toe-cap 4 Xed thereon.

United @rates Patent 2,858,555 RELEASABLE SKI BINDING Bartow E. Barnett and Norman King, Kings Beach, Calif., aesignors of one-half to Bonnie B. Barnett, Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Application January 17, 1958, Serial No. 709,644

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-11.35)

` undue and injurious strain upon a leg, whereby broken bones, due to a dangerous fall of a skier may be prevented.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved releasable ski binding having improved means adapted to release automatically the foot of a skier from a ski runner during or immediately preceding a bad fall, whereby the danger or risk of broken leg bones may be eliminated.

Another object is to provide a new and improved device of the character set forth having a greatly simplied and economically produced construction and a maximum efficiency.

We accomplish these and other objects by means of the device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present application in Which- Figure l is a broken side elevation of the central or foot portion of a ski runner, disclosing the manner in which the -device is applied;

Figure 2 is a broken plan View of Figure l, partly in section, and with the ski shoe and strap omitted; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectio-nal view of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 2 is used to designate a conventional ski runner having a conven- In the present invention, what is termed for descriptive purposes, a base-plate 6, having a lateral groove or channel 8 in the front end thereof, is permanently fixed to the runner 2 slightly behind the toe-cap 4, as disclosed in Figure 1,

Y A heel-plate l@ has the front edge 12 thereof snugly but detachably nested within thelateral channel 8, said plate 1t) also being snugly cupped over 4and upon the base-plate 6, as shown, and provided on its rear end with an arcuate ridge 14 adapted to engage the rear rounded end of a skiers shoe heel, 16, the rear of said ridge Patented Jan. 13, 1959 14 being provided with a suitable depression or dent 18 adapted to be engaged by the ball 2|!) of an adjustable spring latch 22, as disclosed in Figure 2, to normally hold said heel-plate 10 snugly cupped upon the baseplate 6, and its front end 12 in engaging relation with the channel or groove 8, as shown.

Opposite sides of the heel-plate 10 are provided with loosely mounted rings 24 through which may be threaded the usual instep strap, or, as known in the art, long thongs 26 which pass over and around the instep of a skiers shoe to rmly secure the same to said heel-plate 10, snugly but detachably cupped upon the permanently secured base-plate 6, as shown.

Frequently, during a fall, skiers are exposed to the danger of fractured leg bones, due to the unyieldingly long base length of the runner, which firmly holds leg bones upright.

ln operation, 'when a fast moving skier realizes that he is about to fall, a forward movement of his body and legs, or uplifting movement of his heel will detach the rear of the heel 16 and heel-plate 10 from the ball 18 of the spring latch 22, so that the skier is able to lift the heel-plate 10, either rearwardly or laterally and thereby release the front edge 12 of said heel-plate 10 from engaging relation with the base-plate 6 and from the ski runner 2, and thereby remove a bone breaking strain from foot and leg bones, and prevent serious injury.

It also should be noted that when the heel-plate 10 is lifted, it is uncupped from engaging relation with the base-plate 6 and, consequently, all connection with a skiers foot, and leg, is removed.

Having described our invention, We claim:

A releasable ski binding comprising the combination with a runner of a toe-cap lixed thereon; a base plate having a transverse channel in the front edge thereof and mounted to the rear of said toe-cap; a heel-plate detachably mounted upon said base-plate and having its front edge detachably engaging said channel, and having a rear edge provided with `an arcuate ridge to engage the back of a shoe heel on said heel-plate, and having a dent on the back of said ridge and normally holding a toe of a shoe within said toecap; and an adjustable spring latch mounted upon said runner and adapted normally to engage the dent in said ridge and normally prevent disengagement of said heel-plate with said baseplate and to release said heel'plate under undue stress thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent y UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,534,038 Lanz Dec. 12, 1950 2,745,672 Meier May l5, 1956 2,788,981 Emerson -f Apr. 16, 1957 2,836,428 Marker May 27, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 60,630 France May l2, 1954 (Addition to 928,116) 

